Dr. Craig is the Chief Medical and Underwriting Director of San Antonio-based PurinaCare Pet Health Insurance. With over 30 years of experience in veterinary medicine, Dr. Craig is passionate about pets and how to keep them healthy and happy for a lifetime.

Note: This is an mySA.com City Brights Blog. These blogs are not written or edited by mySA or the San Antonio Express-News. The authors are solely responsible for the content.

Stop yelling, solve problems

When you see your precious dog come wheeling around the corner with your most expensive shoe in his mouth, it is almost instinctual to yell “bad dog” at him and give him a small thump on the haunches. Contrary to popular belief, shouting does not work, not with dogs or cats.

The only thing most pets want to do when they are young is please their owners. A good way to understand how to treat your dog is to think of them like a 2-3 year old child. They always want to be right on your heel, ready to play and usually into trouble. Nevertheless, remember, just like small children, pets don’t misbehave on purpose. Losing your cool and raising your voice will not teach them how to behave properly.

Think about it this way: If your dog is barking incessantly, when you start barking, or yelling, right along with him, you are only reinforcing the bad behavior you are reprimanding. A good way to deal with barking is to simply ignore it. Say your dog barks for 5 minutes, walk away from him for 5 minutes without reprimanding him. Once he has been silent for the amount of time he was barking, then reinforce his silent behavior, the behavior you want to continue.

The best way to keep your dog acting like the best pet he can be is through maintaining a calm demeanor and reinforcing good behavior with treat, love and affection. Don’t raise your voice to your pet, even though they may not be able to understand what “bad” or “stupid” means, they can tell the change in your voice, they can tell by the sound that you are angry and upset.

Another common problem is redirection. If your dog starts jumping on you, nipping your heels, or doing something else to get your attention, often the first response is to hand him a toy so he can entertain himself. The only thing this teaches is in order to get a toy, annoy the owner. Instead, tell your dog to “sit” or “down”, then redirect him to a toy. That way you have reinforced the behavior of “sit still and get attention” rather than “pester and get attention.”

It can be overwhelming to train a puppy or kitten, but once you get the hang of positive reinforcement as opposed to instinctual negative reactions, the training becomes second nature. This will lead to a happy and playful life for both you and your pet.